There was a report earlier this week from The Sporting News about how International Speedway Corporation had seen a 5.8% drop in admission revenues at its 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup tracks in 2012.

Most of that drop, according to ISC boss John Saunders, came from the two restrictor plate races at Talladega Superspeedway.

And Saunders placed the blame squarely at the feet of NASCAR and its drivers for fostering what he called “pathetic” racing at the big tracks like Talladega and Daytona International Speedway.

Talladega president Grant Lynch, in the same report authored by Sporting News NASCAR writer Bob Pockrass, said that top drivers, like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, who constantly remind anyone who will listen how much they dislike restrictor plate racing, share the blame for a drop in bums in the seats at the big tracks.